Thursday, August 28, 2014

Goodwill Hunting

See what I did there?  :)

I'm not going to talk about movies in this post, which may surprise you.  I'm going to talk about hunting through the dusty, jumbled shelves of our local Goodwill store, hoping to stumble upon some hidden treasures--a favorite pastime of mine.

The other day, I went there strictly for the purpose of dropping off stuff that we don't want and don't need.  I've been on a bit of a kick lately, going through every room in the house, weeding through the clutter and getting everything in order--largely inspired by the fact that all of our kids, their spouses, and their little ones are coming here for Christmas, but also partly inspired by the fact that my husband and I are empty-nesters (with our youngest son just starting his senior year of college), and yet you'd hardly know it by the amount of stuff there is in this house.

So when I went to unload my packages, boxes, and bags of junk stuff that someone else might want or need, I was going to leave the store without a backward glance.  I was NOT going to quickly peruse the home goods section, thinking I might happen upon some stray bit of transferware (which is pretty much my Kryptonite).

But then I decided, "Well, as long as I'm here, I should just take a quick look..." So I strolled to the back of the store and was so excited by what I found that I ran back to the front to get myself a shopping cart, pronto!  They had a whole bunch of English Staffordshire transferware dishes, in black on cream, priced at 99 cents apiece.  They were old ones, too--I could tell by the very slight crazing of the finish and the imprint on the back.  I have lots of blue transferware, and some pink; I also have some Christmas-themed pink and green pieces.  But my collection is filled with mostly new pieces, picked up here and there at TJ Maxx or secondhand stores.  And I don't have any black ones yet.  And gee, black accents look great in my newly renovated kitchen...

Well, I proceeded to load up that cart with 2 dinner plates (because they didn't have 4), 4 dessert plates, 4 cups and saucers, and a shallow bowl.  I also thought about getting the matching sugar bowl and creamer, although they were a bit pricier at $2.99 apiece.  But then I stopped in my tracks. 

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I'm trying to PARE DOWN what we own, I reminded myself, NOT ADD MORE STUFF!  I already have all the dishes I need, and then some!

But the thought of leaving all those treasures behind was so tough...

Well, I made a compromise: I put almost all of the dishes back; but I did buy the little 99-cent bowl, having convinced myself that there are plenty of useful purposes for it.  It would make an excellent dipping bowl, for Italian bread and olive oil, for instance.  Or it could be used as a small vegetable bowl.  Or I could just look at it every now and then, which is pretty inexpensive entertainment when you consider what I paid for it.
So, what do you think?  Does this make you want to get out there and do some Goodwill hunting of your own?  If so, may the odds be ever in your favor! 

(Okay, now I better go, before I resort to using anymore movie references...)

6 comments:

  1. Gee you were strong! Love to hear more about your 'decluttering' I love decluttering, one of my new favourite pasttimes:) a constant must. what about some pics to show us or lists of what you gave away..

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    1. Maybe I'll do a "decluttering" post--good idea!

      Also, I was strong yesterday...but today I'm wishing I'd gotten the rest of those dishes! We're going our of town for a week, but I might head over to Goodwil when I get back! ;)

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  2. I was just thinking how strong you were, too! That is my strategy when shopping..... I will look at it, then if it is still there when I go back, it was meant to be and I buy it. LOL

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  3. My favorite thing to do is declutter. It makes me feel so free from all the junk I have held on over the years.

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  4. Oh, please DO use more movie references - I laughed out loud when I saw "what you did there" - and goodness knows, we all need a wholesome chuckle now and then! Very clever, and made me want to do some Goodwill Hunting of my own, except that I too am trying to pare down.

    I think you made such a good compromise. You're right - inexpensive entertainment, and you even got a great blog post out of the deal! Which we ALL can enjoy. Now, you just can't beat that.....

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